An Outstanding Contributor

Like many children of his generation, Rob Lingard had dreams of becoming a cowboy. Some aspired to be firemen or football players, but Lingard held visions of becoming the next Gene Autry.

Well, not all dreams are completely fulfilled, but Lingard can take solace in at least knowing he’s a “sheriff” of sorts. For the past 23 years of a 32-year career at Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators (DMBA), he’s served as manager (and now director) of Central Services, the in-plant behind the Salt Lake City-based insurance company.

DMBA is an administrator of employer-provided medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement and savings benefits. The participating employers are owned by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I think it’s been a great opportunity,” Lingard says of his stint with Central Services and DMBA. “The printing industry is dynamic and ever-changing, which makes it fun to be involved with. There are certainly some challenges and pressures to deal with, but that is true with any vocation.”

Lingard, 61, has led a colorful life from a very young age. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1977 with a BA in organizational communications, and followed it up 10 years later with an MBA from the University of Phoenix. At the tender age of 19, he spent two years doing missionary work in Argentina.

Interestingly, Lingard’s first job after high school was working in a nursery and managing a garden center. “When I first started managing the nursery, I thought I’d do that for the rest of my life,” he admits.

But in 1981, he took advantage of the opportunity to work for DMBA as a benefits administrator. For the next nine years, he was assigned to Central and South America, negotiating contracts with local insurance companies, auditing self-funded medical and retirement programs. The opportunity to travel abroad was satisfying for the young man.

Into the In-plant

In 1990, Lingard found his ultimate calling when the printing and mailing services departments were merged, and he became manager of Central Services. It was a small operation at the time with two one-color Itek presses, one of which had a color T-head. Most jobs were forms, envelopes and stationery.

Lingard has spearheaded an equipment overhaul during his 20-year tenure. The Iteks have given way to an HP Indigo 7000 digital color press (installed in May 2010), which has provided variable data printing of explanation of benefits statements (for patients) and explanation of payments statements (for participating doctors).

Other new gear recently brought in under Lingard’s watch includes a home-grown MIS for job scheduling, costing and other managing functions; a booklet maker, cutter and UV coater from Duplo USA; and a Pitney Bowes 8000 floor-model mail inserter. A Xerox DocuColor 250 handles the copying needs of the department.

The in-plant, which boasts an operating budget of $2.8 million, keeps on its toes courtesy of a twice-daily calisthenics regiment done to music. After the whistle blows to end the day, workers take advantage of several after-hours activities ranging from yoga to pilates-type fitness classes. Annual retreats include trips to Park City, Utah, botanical gardens and zoo outings.

Lingard markets his in-plant to the parent organization via an annual open house and luncheon, complete with a tour of the facility, instructional materials on the shop’s capabilities and literature on disaster recovery and event management.

The director takes pride in the synergy that’s been established between the printing and mailing operations.

“We’ve been able to garner savings by streamlining the workflow and making it more efficient,” he says. “We have some truly great people working in our operation. We have a sit-down interview with every associate on a monthly basis. We ask them how we’re doing and have them provide input into things we can do better or differently.”

The job is not without its challenges. Lingard constantly works toward fully utilizing the capacity of the HP press and engaging the marketing department to understand the benefits it can provide. And on occasion, a facilities management firm will come calling, purporting to be able to handle the in-plant’s load cheaper and better.

Lingard’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Twice he’s been honored with the outstanding contributor award by DMBA, and in 2012 he won the same recognition from the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA). The same association also recognized Central Services with In-Print Gold and Silver awards during the past two printing competitions.

Lingard himself is president of IPMA, and he’s held all the chapter offices during his 20-plus-year journey. He values the collaborative opportunities the association offers.

“You get to know individuals who are facing the same types of situations, the same pressures, learn how they are approaching their businesses and be able to implement some of those ideas,” he offers. “In Utah, we have a pretty tight group, and we love to get together and do some networking.”

Lingard is excited about what the future holds. His shop is working with nearby Brigham Young University to develop a Web-to-print system that will help push out products on a more uniform basis and bring more business to his shop. A second goal is to drive more work currently done on desktop printers to the HP Indigo 7000, which he says can be done cheaper and more efficiently. Lastly, enhancing the shop’s MIS will pave the way toward understanding costs better.

Lingard—a former string bass player in high school—is learning to play the guitar and enhance his love of 1960s and 1970s music. He also enjoys writing poetry and short stories for his 15 grandchildren.

Lingard and his wife, Rebecca, have four children, one of whom works in the investment department for DMBA. And while he looks toward the future, Lingard still has a grasp on his past: he works part-time at a local nursery.